44 protesters still in detention, 13 missing, one more reported dead

44 people detained during the post-election protests remain in custody, after they were sentenced to short terms of administrative detention, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also confirmed that 6 persons were still held as part of “ongoing investigations”.

Some 6,700 protesters were detained after the rigged August 9 election. Most of them were released starting August 13. Those who were released told about cruel treatment during their arrest, as well as in the police departments and in the detention facilities.

To date, more than 600 victims of police violence and torture across the country have filed complaints with the Investigative Committee. However, there is no information that at least one criminal case has been opened to investigate abuse of power or torture reports by law enforcement officials.

13 protesters are still missing, according to a database run by the TUT.by news website. Their whereabouts are unknown.

One more person reportedly died during the protests, the Interior Ministry said.

A 19-year-old protester was killed by a car when participating in a protest on August 16 in Minsk, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Human Rights Center "Viasna" has collected information about people against whom criminal cases were initiated after being detained at protest actions that began after the presidential elections. As of August 19, Viasna knows about more than 60 suspects in such cases in different cities of Belarus. More information about all the cases can be found on VIasna's website here (in Russian) https://spring96.org/ru/news/99140